Livescribe APX-00003 2GB EFIGS Pulse Smartpen

The OLED display has died on me and this seems to be a common feature. Customer support is worthless, as out of warranty repair needs don't get a reasonable answer. For a £140 product (or over more), this is quite unacceptable. Sometimes the pen also connects the end point of a word with the beginning of the next, turning the pdf of your notes into an illegible scribble.Yes it was a good idea and a fine gadget to fill 3 or 4 notebooks, but in view of the high fault rate / limited lifetime it does not meet the expectations created by their marketing.I strongly recommend not to buy.

Yes it isn't perfect and yes there are horror stories around. Mine works perfectly and is in very regular use. Wouldn't be without it. Shame the paper is so pricey!

I saw someone with this pen and was instantly envious! So, after seeing an offer I bought this from amazon recently, and its good, the search works well and recognises my handwriting and it records well. Hopefully this will be the end of my constant scrawling on pads which I then lose, so as long as I dont lose my laptop these days will be long gone.Things which were annoying; a) have to download the software online, and b) in order to make it work I think I had to do about 3 firmware updates, one of which looked like it killed the pen. I would have preferred it just worked rather than having to wait around 30-45 minutes updating it.

I loved my LiveScribe. Until I had a recent firmware update supplied. This killed the display (and of many others according to LiveScribe's forum. The pen is out of warranty and LiveScribe has NO REPAIR FACILITIES.The only service provided was the 'tip' of buying a new one.

I bought this product just before starting my PhD, as, during my degree, I was always making notes and losing them in a pile of paper, only to scrabble around looking for them the next day. The idea of having all my notes accessible was great, and the added bonus of the dictation is great.The pen itself appears a bit chunky, but personally I prefer this in a pen, so find it very comfortable to write with. The screen is clear and bright, and navigating the pen's menus is also very easy, as each notebook comes with "buttons" in the inside covers, that provide quick access to options and settings buried in the menu.The dictation linking to text feature is also very good - I haven't made great use of this yet, but to have this in university would have been great - you can even set a delay so that the audio from five seconds or so ago is linked to what you are writing down now, which I imagine would be very helpful in lectures.Included with the pen is a notebook, a nice case (don't bother with the available leather cases, they aren't as nice), headphones and a spare nib. The only downside is the cost of the paper, and the lack of availability of supplies in the UK (in America, for instance, they are launching Livescribe post it notes).The software interface is easy to use, and you can easily save pages to a .pdf for emailing, which is very helpful. The resolution of this output is also very good.One thing with using a product like this regularly is getting into the habit of having to switch your pen on, which is obviously not a natural thing to do. I have often written a line and then realised the pen is not turned on, and then had to go over my writing again. You can set how long the pen takes before automatically switching off though, and with its long battery life, this isn't really a huge issue.

Excellent concept and works well but severely let down by the microphone picking up the surface noise when you are writing. This makes the audio recordings taken by the pen unusable for podcasts, although still acceptable for checking your notes.Very neat that you can tap on the text you wrote to go to a place on the recording.

Really disappointed to find that a recent upgrade caused a display failure and obviously now out of warranty.Should have read the blogs, but do expect this from a renown company like Livescribe.DB

This sounded like one of those gadgets that's too good to be true, like the Men From Uncle pen I was duped into buying 40 years ago, that was supposed to see through walls. In fact, it's everything I hoped it would be. I use it to record creative sessions with collaborators. Nothing is ever forgotten or lost. The notes transfer to the computer, along with the associated audio. No chance of losing valuable work with a clumsy coffee spill, or having the dog run off with it. It even makes a decent stab at transposing my appalling handwriting into editable text. I imagine it would be invaluable for students. Can't imagine how I lived without it. Oh, and it works with Macs. It does require special paper, but you can print your own if you have a laser printer.